MOSCOW. March 21 (Interfax) - Relations between the European Union and Russia are a definite long-term priority, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said.

"Developing cooperation with the EU is a definite and long-term priority for Russia not only because of economic ties," Medvedev said at an international conference dedicated to the Russian-EU partnership.

"Russia was, is and will be a part of Europe geographically and, I would like to stress this especially, culturally and civilly," the Russian prime minister said.

"We are a European country which of course is stretched far to the east, to the shores of the Pacific Ocean and to the Chinese and Korean borders," Medvedev said.

Russia and the EU have "become especially close" in the past 20 years, Medvedev said. "Taking into account the standards of the 20th century, the two have become uniquely close," he said. Russia has become a full member of many European institutions and of the World Trade Organization as well, the Russian prime minister said.

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